Measuring NBA Kicks Since 1946

Thursday, March 1, 2012

As an NBA junkie, I love the spirit and vigor of super fans. I love that they will cover they bodies in paint, show up at games in grass skirts, just the fact they seem to have no conscious. The epitome of the super fan is none other than 'Clipper Darrell'. His real name is Darrell Bailey, but as a Los Angeles native, he is a long time (15 years),devout super fan of none other than the Los Angeles Clippers. To call him hard core would do his passion no justice, to say he loves his Clippers is an understatement. He is more of a Clippers icon than the team's own mascot. He represents what every NBA fan should inspire to be, maybe not with those lovely blue and red suits, but the fact he has stayed steadfast with his team through all those craptastic years and, FINALLY, this year is being rewarded with some TRUE BLUE basketball.

Carl Lahr, senior vice president of marketing and sales, eventually returned Bailey's call last week and informed him that the organization didn't need him doing stories or speaking to the media on behalf of the team.

"We got to talking and I said the way I feel, you don't want Clipper Darrell no more," Bailey told FishbowlLA Wednesday. "You want Darrell Bailey back. They said, 'You would do that?'"

According to Bailey, the Clippers offered him an additional free season ticket if he dropped the Clipper nickname.

"That's when everything went haywire and they said I was trying to make money off sponsorships," Bailey added. "If people are going to pay me to do some things, why not do it? I don't see any harm in it as long as I'm not hurting the brand itself. I'm going to high schools, charity events, I do it all. They told me at the end of the conversation that, 'We would like you not to be Clipper Darrell anymore and would like you to go back to Darrell Bailey.'"

Lahr could not be reached for immediate comment.

Instead of wearing his customary red and blue suit, Bailey wore all black to Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. When the Clippers return home from their six-game road trip on March 11, fans shouldn't expect to find a vocal Bailey cheering on the team.

Of course, the Clipper's PR sent out a statement:"The Clippers have done absolutely nothing wrong or inappropriate as it concerns Darrell Bailey. His claims are absurd and unfounded. He has never been an employee or representative of the Clippers organization, and therefore cannot be terminated. The Clippers have never engaged Mr. Bailey's services. When he has been in need, the organization has regularly provided him a seat for games. No good deed goes unpunished.

We have had multiple conversations with him concerning his inappropriate use of the Clippers' team name and trademark for his own unmonitored commercial gain. We have spoken to him repeatedly about his desire to make public appearances in ways which improperly suggest that he is officially affiliated with our organization. In all cases and over a long period of time, he has consistently rejected our efforts to operate in consultation.

In a conversation with an authoritative and tenured Clippers' executive last week, he was asked again to either consult with the team on all public appearances and/or commercial ventures, or stop undertaking those opportunities representing himself inappropriately. His response was an offer to stop representing himself commercially in that way and his offer was accepted in principle.

The next thing we heard was the baseless claims he has made today and the ensuing media rush to judgment."

We hold all of our fans in the highest esteem and we have been patient and generous with Mr. Bailey. He has not returned our support in an honorable way. He is not actually a fan of the Clippers, but a fan of what he can make off of the Clippers. We are no longer interested in that kind of association with him, and that is why we accepted his offer to remove our team name from his stage name."

I get what the Clippers organization is saying, I do. Clipper Darrell has his own website, ClipperDarrell.com, where he sells his own merchandise, he speaks to schools, invited to charity events, you get the gist. However, the Clipper organization, in turn, has used him for their own purposes especially in advertisement. Where was all this "stop using the 'Clipper' name and saying you're an official member of the organization" last year? 4 years ago? 8 years ago? Furthermore, where or rather when does Darrell EVER say he is, indeed (That's how it is spelled Wilson Chandler) an OFFICIAL member of the organization?? When Blake Griffin and Chris Paul show their support on a social media site in favor of Darrell, yeah, you know the Clipper management is fucking up .......... in a HUGE way.

Was it all fine as red wine that Darrell embraced the 'Clipper Darrell' moniker when the team was the laughingstock of the NBA?? Wouldn't one say that the Clipper organization were the ones that used Clipper Darrell rather than the other way around?? Wouldn't one say the Clipper Organization is a huge pile of douche??

What's better than a win?? A "First-game-back-from-All-Star-break-against-a-Northwest-Divison-rival" win. Yes, the Denver Nuggets of old, think January 2012 old, are back. They ousted the Portland Trail Blazers 104-95.

Yes. Voltron is back!

My game ball has to go to Kenneth "Manimal" Faried. It was Double-Double Manimal last night who acquired 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting and 10 rebounds, which included 7 OFFENSIVE rebounds, which is the most ANY Nuggets player has seen this season. He set the tone from the get, he has insurmountable energy, and all this in 17 minutes?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Yes, Manimal is invigorating, robust, and dynamic. It sounds as if I am describing a bottled jar of Ragu sauce. Naw, this is the bottled energy of Manimal, George Karl, let's open that jar for a full 30 minutes, okay, baby...

This was close to a solid game as I can remember, of course there were things that could have been better, there are always things I can be overcritical on, but a 9-point win over a division rival, well I can't piss, bitch, moan and complain about that.

What about Jordan Hamilton, sure he has negative, but bear in mind he is a rookie. Despite this, HAM can go, well..... H.A.M. Yes he took some horrible shots, BUT had 3 smooth assists, but was able to make a few of those horrible shots. I'm going to reiterate that Hamilton's release is so quick, and better yet, his shot, is silky smooth. I want to lick and taste that smooth shot.....yes, I really did just say that. However, he was benched because of him not boxing out Batum in which he scored. Nonetheless, Jordan's positives outweigh the negatives.

I know I was reactional for a few moments when Manimal was not in the game down the stretch, but Kosta was the better fit for the Portland matchups. Kosta did a phenomenal job defending down the stretch and his hard work has earned him that spot. It paid off, not only for him, but for the team as well. He was on the verge of a double-double. Welcome back, Al Harrington!! Yes, he missed his first field goal, but the man logged a double-double as well. His shot selection was better than what fans have seen, and he had his legs under him for most of the game. Al Harrington, back? Time will tell.

Ty Lawson!!! DEAR LORD. SWEET BABY JESUS!! HOLY MOLEY!!! It was ORGASMIC to see Ty Lawson take over in the 4th quarter like he did!! He only had 6 points before the 4th quarter but ended the game with 18 points with just 6-for-9 shooting in JUST the 4th quarter, 9 assists, 5 rebounds and just 1 turnover. He brought home that win for Denver. His offense was pure RAZZLE DAZZLE!!!

This was just a solid game of team basketball. OH! All without 3 KEY rotation players (Gallo, Rudy and Nene).

Saturday, February 25, 2012

It's that time again for Fantalyst rankings. I play the role of the critical fanalyst, and Miami Heat Blogger, Miami Heat Index, plays the part of the asshole fan. You can view his Eastern Conference Rankings along with my replies HERE

1. OKC Thunder: (Last week #1, 27-7) This is the beast in the West. It was even more evident in Thursday night's win over the Lakers, which had Harden jawing at Kobe, the Lakers are old news. However, there has to be something said that this team, at times, is barely beating teams by single digit numbers, teams, in all likelihood, they should obliterate. As much flack as Russell Westbrook gets for his selfishness, he is vital to this team. Example: Their historical game in which Russ snagged 40 points, Durant, 52 points, and Ibaka a triple-double... all within the same game. They rank 3rd in scoring, rank 8th in defensive rebounds and when scoring 100+ points they are 19-3. Durant + Russ + Harden + Ibaka is a strong base, granted Russ and KD are the offense, Harden is vital to that team.

MHI: Imagine how good the Thunder would be if they had Tyson Chandler instead of Kendrick Perkins. That could be the difference between them winning a title and losing one.

2. San Antonio Spurs: (Last week #2, 24-10) The only reason the Blazers are in 8th place in the West is because Popovich, who is the smartest coach in the NBA, sat out Parker and Duncan, which turned out to be a total yawn fest. Popo gave up an 11-game win streak just to give his stars a break, that my friends, is a clever stinker. I am the first to admit, I thought (and wished as well) that San Antonio would be in the bottom 5-8 place in the west. I was completely wrong, but at this point, this team is as serious as the Thunder. Thunder just has Durant and Westbrook. However, the Spurs have young talent, Green, in it's midst. The three point prowess in Bonner, damn you gingers, and Jefferson while still having the veteran-ness in Parker and Duncan. All this success without Manu (There were the handful of games he played, yes).

MHI: Can Kawhi Leonard get some shine? He's the best young player on the Spurs and second-most productive rookie this seaon, according to the NBA Geek website. If Ginobili's healthy for the playoffs, then they can upset the Thunder.

3. Los Angeles Clippers: (Last week #3, 20-11) With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin nothing much can go wrong for the Clippers, these two lead the franchise in every statistical category except blocks, which goes to DeAndre Jordan, and free throw attempts which is held by the injured Chauncey Billups. Clippers are still working on items, but the only downfall to this team is the coach. Let's be honest about Del Negro, c'mon now. However, the talent on this team is immense; Clippers vs. Thunder WCF, anyone?

MHI: Clippers are the 3rd-best team in the West, but don't put them in the Western Conference Finals over the Spurs just because they beat the Nuggets before the All-Star break. Did you see the 30 and 10 Tony Parker gave Chris Paul? With their hole at shooting guard, the Clippers can't beat the Spurs with a healthy Ginobili.

4. Dallas Mavericks: (Last week #4, 21-13) Minus the loss to the NYK, the Mavericks are making a run, they are a tightly ran defensive team, maybe not to the level as the Miami Heat, but they are ranked 5th in the league in defensive statistics. Post Dirk's 4-game hiatus, he has made his offensive presence known. Sure, they will make playoffs, but the team seeing the WCF again, is limited.

MHI: This is usually where I predict the Mavs will go out in the first round, but the bottom half of the West is looking pretty weak so I'll resort to a Tupac-style rant: Fuck the Mavs as a team, franchise and a motherfucking crew.

5. Los Angeles Lakers: (Last week #5, 20-14) Yes, they had an embarrassing loss against the Thunder last night, but as we all know, their offensive presence is limited outside of Kobe. The reason they HAVE this spot is defense alone. They have a premier defense in the league, which isn't surprising considering Coach Mike Brown. How far will they go?? Second round at best, UNLESS they make HUGE moves before the trade deadline.

MHI: WTF is going on here? Did the Lakers beat the Nuggets in a scrimmage last week or something? Any team that considers signing Rasheed Wallace does NOT belong in the Top 5 of the West. It's just a matter of time before Kobe breaks Bynum's kneecap and chokes out Mike Brown in frustration, thus killing their season (but not Mike Brown).

6. Houston Rockets: (Last week #8, 20-14) This is a team that Rockets coach, Kevin McHale, believes in, and it's a consistent team... and also consistent on flopping. They may have surprised Sixers fans when they trumped over that team, this week, which resulted in a win. Lowry, Scola, Martin, while immense FLOPPERS, still get the job done.

MHI: Fuck the Rockets. Despite their record, they only have the 8th-best schedule-adjusted efficiency differential in the West and reportedly, the players and Kevin McHale don't get along. Denver will make the playoffs before the Rockets, you fake ass Nuggets fan! Your season tickets should be REVOKED!

7. Memphis Grizzlies: (Last week #6, 19-15) Gasol has thrived without Z-Bo in the mix, which may change considerably once he is back. This team is yet another defensive giant in the west. Conley, Gay and Allen are among the league's leader in steals, the energetic Mayo is a spark that ignites the Memphis squad. Will this team surprise in the post season again?? Time will tell.

MHI: Unless Ginobili breaks his arm again, the Grizzlies won't surprise anyone in the first round of the playoffs.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves: (Last week unranked, 17-17) How can I not put in a team that has such an athletic young core like Minnesota?? Who is #4th in the league in scoring outside of Kobe, Bron and Durant?? None other than Kevin Love, who is averaging 25 PPG and 14 RPG, second in the league. This team may just surprise many come April.

MHI: WTF? So now teams don't even have to beat the Nuggets to jump in the rankings, they just have to play them close? I went to a Timberwolves game this week and they didn't look like a playoff team, but I'd rather see them make it than the bitchass Rockets. Rubio's got to get his shit together, though. His play has fallen off the last few weeks.

Sure the Heat won last night, remember the Knicks WERE 10 point underdogs, and yes Jeremy Lin had a terrible game, but that's NOT a surprise!!

Here is Lin's stat line for the night: 8 points on 1-for-11 shooting, 3 assists on 8 turnovers.

Yes, that's a "TURRIBLE" night, but when does ANY NBA player NOT have an off night??? No excuses. He sucked it up last night. It happens.

Let's be honest, the Heat, arguably, is the best team in the NBA. So was Lin to have this outstanding game?? Was the Knicks to steamroll the Heat??

Any LOGICAL and RATIONAL viewer will tell you the same thing.

It's not as if Lin is the superstar of the team; Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e, the faces of the franchise, had equally not-so-good nights, it's rather comical the New York Media Wagon is placing the loss on Lin's back.